Helicopter kite

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a kite which simulates a helicopter and includes a body which has a rotor mounted on an axle above the front end thereof and a tail assembly at the rear end thereof. The rotor is of the type which rotates when acted on by a stream of air and which creates a lifting effect as it rotates. The tail assembly comprises a fin and a stabilizer of relatively large lateral extent. This large stabilizer serves to maintain the kite and the plane of the rotor in the desired attitude for stable flight and further serves to counter any tendency of the kite to drift or tilt to one side.

United States Patent 1191 Tolomizenko 1 HELICOPTER KITE [76] lnventor: Walter P. Tolomizenko, 240 Ellis Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 22 Filed: Feb. 8, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 113,451

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS France ..244/ 1 54 1451 Apr. 17, 1973 Primary Examiner-Milton Buchler Assistant ExaminerPau1 E. Sauberer Attorney-Weldon F. Green ABSTRACT The invention relates to a kite which simulates a helicopter and includes a body which has a rotor mounted on an axle above the front end thereof and a tail assembly at the rear end thereof. The rotor is of the type which rotates when acted on by a stream of air and which creates a lifting effect as it rotates. The tail assembly comprises a fin and a stabilizer of relatively large lateral extent. This large stabilizer serves to maintain the kite and the plane of the rotor in the desired attitude for stable flight and further serves to counter any tendency of the kite to drift or tilt to one side.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPRI 11915 a; 727. 864

INVENTOR. WALTER P TOLOMIZ ENKO Agent HELICOPTER KITE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1 vide stability to the kite in flight. It is the additional purpose of this invention to provide a helicopter type kite which can be made from available lightweight materials and which is designed so that the elements thereof such as the rotor and stabilizer may be attached or detached with relative ease.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description, with reference to the attached drawings, will more fully explain the construction and operation of some embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings which illustrate the embodiments of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a kite constructed in accordance with this invention viewed from a point above and to one side of the kite.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the kite illustrated in FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the kite illustrated in FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the kite illustrated in FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a side elevation illustrating an alternative embodiment of a kite constructed in accordance with this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. l the kite comprises a body or fuselage portion 1, a rotor 2 mounted on an axle 3, and a tail assembly 4 comprising a fin 5 and a stabilizer 6.

The said body as illustrated has a generally planar configuration with an enlarged forward nose portion 7 and a rearwardly extending portion 8 of reduced crosssection terminating in the tail assembly. The body may of course be of various shapes, its purpose being to provide a structure on whichthe rotor and tail assembly are mounted and to which a string may be attached. The shape shown is chosen as a convenient one for manufacture'in most desired materials and also provides an appropriate appearance.

to provide a hole in the center of the rotor whereby a screw or the like may be inserted and tightened into the end of the axle 3. Where a low strength material is used for the rotor a wooden plug may be inserted at the center of the rotor and the appropriate hole drilled through it. When the screw is tightened into the end of the axle the rotor will be held between the head of the screw and the end of the axle. It will be obvious of course that the mounting should leave sufficient clearance so that the rotor will be free to rotate. Washers may be placed adjacent to the top and underside of the rotor to provide even freer rotation.

The rotor constitutes a propeller and, in the preferred embodiment shown, consists of two diametrically opposed blades 9. The blades of the rotor are designed so that the stream of air acting against them when the kite is held against the wind or pulled through the atmosphere will cause the rotor to rotate and such rotation will create a lifting force and thereby maintain flight altitude. Such self-propelling rotors have previously been known and various designs might serve the same purpose as that illustrated. As one example the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 has been found satisfactory and the desired self-sustaining helicopterlike lift effect is obtained if the blades of the rotor are shaped with their leading edge 10 substantially thinner than the area 1 1 'near the trailing edge as seen in FIG. 1. The undersurface 12 of the blade is inclined upward in the direction of the trailing edge at an angle of about ten degrees from the plane of rotation. The invention is not limited to this specific design of rotor blades as long as they are of the type which rotate in a stream of air and create the necessary lifting force.

The blades of the rotor may be in mutual alignment, as shown, in a plane perpendicular to the axle 3 or they may be curved or inclined above such a plane in the direction of their extremities. This deviation may take the form of an upward curvature or upward inclination which can be imparted to the rotor at the time of construction. On the other hand a very flexible rotor will tend to assume this configuration by bending when held against a sufficiently strong stream of air. In either case it has been found that such upward inclination of curvature of the rotor blades promotes greater stability of flight. The upward inclination or curvature towards the extremities of the rotor blades is found to be satisfactory if it approximates an angle of 10 from a plane perpendicular to the axle.

Appended to the rear portion of the body of the kite is a tail assembly generally designated 4. This tail assembly consists of a tin Sand a stabilizer 6. The fin is a vertical generally planar member lying in the plane of the body and is therefore conveniently constructed integrally with the body as best shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The exact extent of the fin is not found to be critical but it should be of sufficient area to add stability by providing some restriction against excessive lateral movement of the tail of the kite. It is to be understood that the tin may not always be necessary to an operable kite as for instance where the body of the kite at the rear is of a shape which provides a sufficient vertical plane to achieve the desired resistance against lateral movement of the tail.

The stabilizer 6 extends laterally and rearwardly from the rear portion of the body. It may be attached underneath or on top of the tin as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 respectively. The stabilizer may be attached in any convenient manner. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the body has a rectangular portion carved out of the underside to accommodate the stabilizer which may be attached by a screw passing through from the underside of the stabilizer and attaching to the overlying rear body portion or fin. Although glue may also be used the aforementioned screw will allow the kite to be disassembled.

It has been found that a tail of relatively large planar area or large lateral extent is desired to effectively stabilize the flight of the kite. The exact area required will depend on the nature of the construction of the kite but as an example the kite shown in the attached drawing when made of lightweight polystyrene was found successful when the lateral extent of the stabilizer approached the length of the kite body and the dimension from front to rear approached one-third of the length of the body. When positioned in the proper attitude the tail will tend to regulate the upward or downward pitch attitude of the kite as a whole and therefore will regulate the attitude of the plane of rotation of the rotor with respect to the direction of flight or the direction of the onrushing stream of air acting against the rotor.

The stabilizer also affects the second aspect of flight stability. Helicopter kites of the type shown, using a single rotor, commonly present some problem of stability because they commonly tend to tilt or pull to one side or the other depending on, the direction of rotation of the rotor. It has been found that the tendency to drift to one side can be countered by bending the stabilizer so as to provide relatively more downward pressure on one side than on the other. For example if the helicopter tends to pull or tilt to starboard this can be compensated for by twisting the outer rear portion of the stabilizer down on the starboard side and up on the port side. The desired twist or shape may be imparted to the stabilizer when it is constructed or if the stabilizer is made of a bendable material it may be done by hand by the operator. The inventor has found that if the stabilizer is made of expanded polystyrene in a mould the mould may be appropriately shaped or the material may be bent by hand as desired.

It has also been the inventors experience that some additional compensation can be accomplished by mounting the stabilizer at a slight inclination so that one side of the stabilizer is higher than the other. In the situation described above the port side of the stabilizer would preferably be higher than the starboard side.

Although the stabilizer may be generally planar the attached drawings illustrate a shape preferred by the inventor in which the stabilizer is curved or inclined upwards toward its extremities in a manner similar to that of the rotor previously referred to. An upward curvature or inclination approximating has been found satisfactory.

Although the string for flying the kite may be mounted in numerous ways the embodiment illustrated shows an assembly which the inventor considers preferable. The lower forward portion of the body is perforated transversely at 13 to permit the insertion of a landing bar 14. The landing bar is perforated or otherwise adapted, near its extremities, for the attachment of a bridle string 15 to which is attached the kite string 16. It is found that by attaching a bridle string to the end of the landing bar in this way the pull of the kite string tends to impart a correcting force which stabilizes the flight of the kite and tends to counteract any tendency to turn or twist in flight. The landing bar also provides some protection against damage when the kite lands and tends to prevent the rotor blades from striking the ground. If the body of the kite is made of low strength material it is found advisable to reinforce the area of the perforation 4 by gluing a patch of resilient material 17 around the area of the perforation to prevent the body material from breaking away in the direction of the forward edge.

Although the configuration of elements of the kite may vary the inventor has learned that the most satisfactory operation of the kite depends on the relative position and attitude of some members of the kite. Firstly, although the body of the kite may assume an extensive variety of shapes and may differ from that embodiment illustrated herein without departing from the inventive concept, it is desirable that the body not be too short since a longer body gives the stabilizer more effective control of the attitude of the kite in flight.

In addition it has been found that the kite flies best if the means for connecting the string to the body, such as the landing bar in the attached drawings, is located at a point which is directly in line with the axle 8 as may be seen in FIG. 2.

Since it is one function of the stabilizer to maintain the proper forward pitch attitude of the kite and thereby to maintain the plane of rotation of the rotor at a desired angle to the stream of air, it has been found that the kite operates best if the stabilizer is inclined upwards at the rear at an angle of about ten degrees when the axle is inclined rearwardly at an angle of about both measured from a given horizontal reference. To state the relationship another way the plane of the stabilizer and the center line of the axis of rotation of the rotor should subtend an angle of about 65.

Although numerous materials might be considered for the construction of this kite it has been found that expanded polystyrene is excellent for the purpose. The body may be moulded or cut of that material. In addition the rotor and stabilizer may also be made of the same material, shaped in moulds or by other means. An expanded polystyrene foam of a density of approximately one pound per cubic foot has been found satisfactory and sufficiently light for an aircraft of this nature. Since the rotor is of relatively slender dimensions it may tend to be weak especially if made out of low strength material such as expanded polystyrene. However it has been found that the rotor can be sufficiently strengthened by gluing a light, thin gauze material to the underside of the rotor. This adds strength without seriously affecting the flexibility or weight of the rotor.

It will be appreciated that numerous variations in the details described may be accommodated in a kite using the inventive concept of this invention and an illustration of such a variation is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the stabilizer is mounted on top of the tin instead of underneath.

What is claimed is:

1. A kite of the type which is flown by being pulled on a string comprising a body having a forward nose portion and a rear portion; an axle extending upward from said forward nose portion; a rotor mounted to rotate on said axle; a stabilizer mounted on said rear portion having a relatively large planar area sufficient to maintain said kite in a proper attitude for stable flight, said stabilizer having a lateral extent approximately the length of the body of said kite and a front to rear dimension approximately one-third of said lateral extent.

2. A kite as claimed in claim 1 in which said string is adapted to pull said kite from a point in the body of said kite approximately in line with the axis of said axle.

3. A kite as claimed in claim 1 in which said string is so adapted to pull said kite by being connected to the ends of a landing bar projecting transversely from the body of said kite at a point approximately in line with the axis of said axle.

4. A kite as claimed in claim 3 in which said stabilizer is configured to counter the tendency of the kite to drift or tilt to one side by being twisted or turned down at the rear on said one side of said body and up at the rear on the other side of said body.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION 3,727,864 7 Dated April 17 1973 Patent No.

Inventor(s) Walter P. Tolomizenko It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Insert the following claims as part of Letters Patent:

-* 5 Q A kite as claimed in claim 2 in which said stabilizer is configured to counter the tendency of the kite to drift or tilt to one side by being twisted or turned down at the rear on said one side of said body and up at the rear on the other side of said body.

6. A kite as claimed in claim 1 in which said stabilizer is configured to counter the tendency of the a kite to drift or tilt to one side by being twisted or turned down at the rear on said one side of said body and up at the rear on the other side of saidbody.

Signed and sealed this let day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY Me GIBSON JR. i c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM USCOMM-DC 60376-5 69 u.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 

1. A kite of the type which is flown by being pulled on a string comprising a body having a forward nose portion and a rear portion; an axle extending upward from said forward nose portion; a rotor mounted to rotate on said axle; a stabilizer mounted on said rear portion having a relatively large planar area sufficient to maintain said kite in a proper attitude for stable flight, said stabilizer having a lateral extent approximately the length of the body of said kite and a front to rear dimension approximately one-third of said lateral extent.
 2. A kite as claimed in claim 1 in which said string is adapted to pull said kite from a point in the body of said kite approximately in line with the axis of said axle.
 3. A kite as claimed in claim 1 in which said string is so adapted to pull said kite by being connected to the ends of a landing bar projecting transversely from the body of said kite at a point approximately in line with the axis of said axle.
 4. A kite as claimed in claim 3 in which said stabilizer is configured to counter the tendency of the kite to drift or tilt to one side by being twisted or turned down at the rear on said one side of said body and up at the rear on the other side of said body. 